Antiseptic compound.



. WILLIAM JOHN KNOX, OF GOLDFIELD, NEVADA, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO KNOX THENABDINE CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A. CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

AN'IISEPTIC COMPOUND.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JOHN Knox, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Goldfi 31d, in the county of Esmeralda and State of Nevada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Antiseptic Compounds, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to so treat highly pure concentrated hydrogen peroxid as to render it permanently stable. It is not contemplated to employ for this purpose the weak three'per cent. U. S. Pharmacopwia preparation but hydrogen peroxid of greater strength and purity, that is of such strength and purity as would otherwise be extremely unstable, and this object also contemplates the preservation of hydrogen peroxid without the admixture of other substances.

Another object of this invention is to provide an antiseptic dressing or compound which shall be highly antiseptic and germicidal and at the same time emollient, nonirritating and non-toxic, and which shall retain these properties when in contact with acid, alkaline, or other natural or diseased bodily excretions.

The antiseptic reagent employed is hydrogen peroxid, H 0 preferably in a pure concentrated and naturally unstable form and the emollient vehicle is a mixture of parafiin of the C IL series of hydrocarbons, both of which with their properties are well known.

In the following specification and claims the word paraflin shall be taken to comprise any mixture of paraffin of the general formula represented by (1,11 of .any viscosity or melting point from the lighter naphthas to the heaviest Wax.

By hydrogen peroxid shall be understood the chemical compound represented by the formula H 0 of such purity as is customarily designated by the term technically chemically pure, and not the commercial acidified aqueous solution of the U. S. Pharmacopwia but of greater strength and purity.

' In order that the process and the nature of the product which I have invented may be made clear it will be necessary to describe the present state of the art.

It is well known that the molecular struc- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed April 20, 1909. Serial No: 491,205.

ture of hydrogen peroxid is that of a supersaturated molecule and that its atoms are 1n a state of unstable equilibrium. It is to this unstable quality that it owes its intense chemical activity, but for the same reason 1t is difficult to preserve it from breaking down or dissociating for any length of time as ordinarily prepared. It is reduced to water, H O, not only by organic matter and ganese dioxid by which it is broken up without causing any change in the metallic oxid. It also reacts with such oXids as silver oxid, both being reduced to the lower form. By mere contact with such inert substances as charcoal and metallic gold, platinum, and silver it is catalytically decomposed. It is also decomposed by all alkalis however weak. It is for the latter reason that the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxid must be rendered acid by adding a free inorganic acid in order to prevent dissociation. .It is also dissociated by heat near or above its boiling point. It is also a well known fact that all finely divided particles, such as mineral matter, barium sulfate, barium fluorid, or other insoluble inert matter must be removed by careful and repeated filtration or the resultant aqueous solution will deteriorate by catalytic dissociation. Another, and the chief cause, of the dissociation of the ordinary hydrogen peroxid, is based upon the chemical law that reduced pressure or tension causes dissociation or greater instability. In the aqueous solution the molecules of hydrogen peroxid, H 0 are brought to the surface of the liquid by convection and its atoms being in a state of active or Wide movement or vibration are pro ected into the free atmosphere above the liquid and on account of the reduced tension and the weak molecular attraction do not recombine and dissociation results. The inventor has found that if the hydrogen peroxid molecule be removed from atmospheric contact and subjected to an external increased tension this tendency to dissociate is neutralized or reversed.

The object of this invention is primarily to enmesh or increase hydrogen peroxid in a technically pure' and concentrated state .gen peroxid in a semi-solid, viscous, or semifluid mixture of parafiins or simply to accord with the special definition, parafiin, thereby inhibiting its tendency to dissociate.

The paraffins of the C I-I +2 series are found in petroleum and are of saturated, stable, molecular structure and are also inert to chemical reagents or compounds. This I property of paraflins of chemical inactivity or inertness to chemical reaction, like that of nitrogen, is possessed by no other liquid, viscous, or solid compound. This characteristic is so strong that the most powerful acids, or alkalis, the most delicate chemical compounds may be kept in contact with it Without the slightest chemical change or reaction taking place either in the reagent or the parailin. Another property of parafi'in that has been discovered and demonstrated by the inventor, is that parafiin instead of dissolving or becoming wet by contact with hydrogen peroxid, has a repulsive action upon it, as oil repels water, thus when inclosing hydrogen peroxid it causes its molecules and atoms to be driven back upon themselves, 'causing them to unite and to be maintained in a constantly stable condition.

By the term paraffin as used herein I do not mean the commercial article commonly sold under that name, but use the term to designate the series of chemical compounds known as the methane series, Whose empirical formula conforms to the molecular composition expressed by G H and which are free from unsaturated hydrocarbons which are present in commercial paraflindue to the processes of producing the same. Paraflin as commercially known is not available for my purpose, as the methods of fractioning by heat in producing the same results in cracking or splitting up the methane compounds into unsaturated compounds which would react with the hydrogen peroxid and destroy it.

Another object in View in employing par.- aflin that is also due to its chemical inertness is to obtain a substance that when in contact with bodily tissues, such as the mucous membrane, the epidermis, sores or open wounds, will act as an absolutely neutral, stable, chemically inactive emollient covering. It, will not itself break down into harmful products and will insulate the parts from external infection, and maintain'them in an antiseptic condition. I

In carrying out my invention. I first prev pare the concentrated aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxid uncombined with other ingredients and therefore extremely unstable by one of the well known methods, preferably by means of barium peroxid or dioxid, B O converting this into barium dioxid containing eight molecules of Water of combination, and treating the latter compound suspended in pure water with. dilute phosphoric acid, 11 1 0,, care being taken to keep the temperature at about 10 C. and the solution at all times slightly acid, then .adding sulfuric acid toslight acidity, and carefully decanting and filtering the hydrogen peroxid solution from the insoluble barium salt.

Care is taken to use clean vessels, of inert material, such as porcelain, and to keep the temperature at a low point, preferably around 10 C. in the subsequent mixing or enmeshing in paraflin. I have used for this purpose, on the small scale porcelain mortars, and on a larger scale porcelain ball mills. a

My method of procedure in making the simple emollient antiseptic mixture is to add the pure concentrated hydrogen peroxid to a suitable quantity of paraffin whose temperature is maintained below thirty-five degrees C. in the mixing vessel and to cause their even, intimate admixture by stirring and attrition until the globules of hydrogen peroxid are not visually apparent.

I have found that pure or technically pure hydrogen peroxid enmeshed in paraflin will retain practically its full strength indefinitely but when applied to a surface will act antiseptically with the full strength of the hydrogen pe'roxid.

The viscosity and melting point of the parafiin will vary with the purpose for,

which the mixture will be used. It may be either liquid, semi-viscous, viscous, or solid.

Another method of preparation is by first concentrating the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxid by means of refrigeration or cold fractional crystallization, and then add.- ing this concentratedsolution to the paraffin. A portion of water is not objectionable in the case of the milder forms of the emollient antiseptic, and in this specification and claims the words hydrogen peroxid will be understood as applicable to that reagent either water free or containing more or less water. This is necessary as in the manufacturethere is apt to be some unavoidable breaking down of the hydrogen peroxidinto the form of water.

Another modification of my invention consists in formin the mixture of hydrogen peroxid and para by first dissolving both ina common volatile solvent and subsearsepve hydrogenperoxidis not soluble in parafiin,

both are soluble in ether and the resulting mixture of the two in the common solvent gives a perfect homogeneous mixture in molecular subdivision. The next operation isto distil off or evaporate the ether, carrying it off to a suitable condenser. The temperature is maintained at as low a point as possible, and agitation of the mixed solution is desirable. The resultant mixture consists of solid paraffin With hydrogen peroxid evenly and finely disseminated throughout.

My invention comprehends various mixtures of paratlins and hydrogen peroxid ranging from one per cent. to thirty per cent. in a highly concentrated hydrogen per i oxid. For ordinary external applications a smaller quantity of hydrogen peroxid is desirable; for application to virulent Wounds or sores a strongly antiseptic mixture is gen peroXid is not only highly concentrated but very pure, and would be, if not thus enmeshed highly unstable. This chemical stability of the concentrated pure hydrogen peroxid When thus incased has been demonstrated for long periods of time by the in ventor.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent:

1. An antiseptic surgical dressing consisting of concentrated hydrogen peroxid in finely-divided globules enmeshed in a paratfin chemically of the methane series and which is chemically inert to the hydrogen peroxid.

2. An antiseptic surgical dressing consisting of concentrated hydrogen peroxid in finely-divided globules inclosed in an elastic neutral vehicle Which is chemically inc; to the hydrogen peroxid.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signaiu in the presence of Witnesses.

WILLIAM JOHN KNOX.

Witnesses:

HENRY'M. FARNAM, E. F. HANsoN, W. S. EBERMAN. 

